Baroness Scotland of Asthal: My honourable friend the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Nationality (Tony McNulty) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	The Home Office (IND) have requested that a pilot scheme be undertaken by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) to evaluate the effects that increased reintegration assistance may have on incentivising failed asylum seekers, and those who wish to withdraw any outstanding asylum applications or appeals, to return to their country of origin. Voluntary returns are always preferable to enforced returns. The pilot which began on 1 January will run for a period of six months.
	VARRP (Voluntary Assisted Return and Reintegration Programme) is the generic programme through which those who have made an asylum application can return to their country of origin with assistance. During 2004–05 there were 2,678 returns under VARRP. Between 1 April and 30 November 2005 there have been 2,236 returns and we are projecting returns in the region of 3,500 for 2005–06. The recent NAO report on failed asylum seekers recommended that more should be done to promote voluntary returns. IND and IOM have undertaken a significant amount of work to promote voluntary returns over the past 18 months, and this exercise will look at the levels of incentive required to stimulate return. It will also assist in developing the most appropriate level of incentive in future voluntary return programmes.
	Currently, VARRP provides all returnees with re-integration assistance to the value of £1,000. This assistance is provided in kind. This means that returnees are not provided with cash grants but are given help with starting up a small business, vocational training or education. All those who leave the UK under this scheme will be offered an additional £2,000 which they can choose to take as either additional re-integration assistance or cash grants. This offer will be available only to those who leave the UK between 1 January and 30 June 2006 and no one who made an application for asylum after 31 December 2005 will be eligible for this. It is anticipated that such an offer could increase the number of predicted returns from about 1,950 to over 3,000 for the six month period.
	In order to promote this exercise the Home Office has undertaken a mail shot to all those currently on NASS support and is publicising the scheme to those who attend reporting centres and to those who are eligible in detention. IOM will also advertise the scheme through posters and advertisements.
	The additional cost of this scheme will be £6.2 million over six months if the increased assistance is paid to 3,000 volunteers.
	These additional costs represent good value for money against the cost of enforced returns which the NAO has calculated to cost £11,000 each on average.
	There are also significant potential savings in the provision of NASS accommodation, support costs and detention expenditure.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Anne McGuire) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	The Health and Safety Commission (HSC) is today announcing the appointment of the right honourable Lord Newton of Braintree as the independent chairman of the board supervising the investigation into the incident at the Buncefield oil depot on 11 December 2005.
	The investigation board, set up by the HSC under powers set out in Section 14(2) (a) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, will report to both HSC and the Environment Agency. As well as the board chair, it also includes two other independent members with relevant expertise: Professor Dougal Drysdale, one of the leading international authorities in fire safety engineering and Dr Peter Baxter, a consultant physician in occupational and environmental medicine. The board will also include three members of staff from the Environment Agency and HSE.
	The commission will publish the special report produced by the investigation board.
	The HSC's decision to establish an investigation board highlights the severity of the incident and the degree of concern for people living close to the Buncefield site and to the local business community. It is determined to ensure the investigation is carried out thoroughly, objectively, transparently and concluded in a timely manner with its findings made public as soon as possible, subject to legal considerations.
	HSC is an independent body of 10 people, appointed by the Secretary of State for Department for Work and Pensions, after consultation with organisations representing employers, employees, local authorities and others. HSC's primary function is to make arrangements to secure the health and safety of workers and the public in the way work activities are conducted; including proposing new law and standards, conducting research and providing information and advice.

Baroness Andrews: My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order (SI 2005 No 1541) was made on 7 June 2005.
	During the passage of the order it was of concern to the House that business and enforcers should have adequate time to familiarise themselves with the new regime and the guidance that will accompany it and that the coming into force date should, so far as practicable, be timed to coincide as closely as possible with reform of fire safety laws in Scotland.
	Despite extensive work with stakeholders it is clear that all the guidance documents will not be ready for a full 12 week gap between publication and coming into force on 1 April 2006.
	In the light of the commitments we have given to the House and our commitment to ensuring this reform is properly backed, we have therefore concluded that the coming into force of the substantive provisions of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order should be put back. We will therefore bring an order, under Article 52 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, to amend the coming into force date of the new regime before the House as quickly as possible.
	Honourable Members will also wish to note that the Scottish authorities have determined that more time should be allowed for reform north of the Border. The reform in Scotland is now expected to come into force in October 2006 at the earliest.